3 ms·

"Well-planned" is easier said than done, and requires artificial supplements (we don't have the right hardware for B12 production and plants don't have it). I

"Well-planned" is easier said than done, and requires artificial supplements (we don't have the right hardware for B12 production and plants don't have it). I personally don't think its a good idea for children unless you really know what you are doing and monitor things closely.

seanwilson 8y ago
> "Well-planned" is easier said than done, and requires artificial supplements (we don't have the right hardware for B12 production and plants don't have it). What's so hard or wrong with taking supplements or B12 enriched foods you might have daily anyway(e.g. soy milk)? As far as I understand, our plants lack B12 because B12 comes from soil and pesticide use + sanitising robs plants of the B12 we'd normally get from them. Modern farming practices mean some farm animals have to be given B12 supplements for similar reasons so you're not getting B12 from how you'd traditionally be getting it anyway if you're going from that angle. > I personally don't think its a good idea for children unless you really know what you are doing and monitor things closely. Are people that bring up kids with no other monitoring than letting them eat meat going to fare much better? Is there documented evidence than vegan parents are regularly putting their kids at risk more-so than non-vegans or this is a theoretical objection?
- jeffdavis 8y ago
  Cows and sheep have special cultures of B12-producing bacteria held in seperate chambers of their digestive tracts. Rabbits pass food multiple times so they can get B12 from bacteria. Are you that B12 is abundant enough in natural soil? When I looked before, I couldn't find any reliable natural source humans could reasonably consume.
  - seanwilson 8y ago
    > Cows and sheep have special cultures of B12-producing bacteria held in seperate chambers of their digestive tracts. Rabbits pass food multiple times so they can get B12 from bacteria. Are they able to do this without any special supplements on modern farms though (e.g. with cows on antibiotics eating grain instead of grass)? > Are you that B12 is abundant enough in natural soil? When I looked before, I couldn't find any reliable natural source humans could reasonably consume. I'm not sure to be honest. My point is modern farming interrupts how nutrients would normally get into our food chain anyway so I don't see the big deal in taking supplements directly.
    - jeffdavis 8y ago
      As far as I can tell cows can still produce B12 with the help of their symbiotic bacteria and digestive tract, and humans can't. The point is that it takes a lot of attention and artificial help to have a healthy vegan diet. That's not great for children or half-committed adults. Eating meat, or at least eggs or dairy, cuts out a lot of that effort. The animals have already done the work of turning a vegan diet into the large variety of nutrients that we need.

seanwilson 8y ago

> "Well-planned" is easier said than done, and requires artificial supplements (we don't have the right hardware for B12 production and plants don't have it). What's so hard or wrong with taking supplements or B12 enriched foods you might have daily anyway(e.g. soy milk)? As far as I understand, our plants lack B12 because B12 comes from soil and pesticide use + sanitising robs plants of the B12 we'd normally get from them. Modern farming practices mean some farm animals have to be given B12 supplements for similar reasons so you're not getting B12 from how you'd traditionally be getting it anyway if you're going from that angle. > I personally don't think its a good idea for children unless you really know what you are doing and monitor things closely. Are people that bring up kids with no other monitoring than letting them eat meat going to fare much better? Is there documented evidence than vegan parents are regularly putting their kids at risk more-so than non-vegans or this is a theoretical objection?

jeffdavis 8y ago
Cows and sheep have special cultures of B12-producing bacteria held in seperate chambers of their digestive tracts. Rabbits pass food multiple times so they can get B12 from bacteria. Are you that B12 is abundant enough in natural soil? When I looked before, I couldn't find any reliable natural source humans could reasonably consume.
- seanwilson 8y ago
  > Cows and sheep have special cultures of B12-producing bacteria held in seperate chambers of their digestive tracts. Rabbits pass food multiple times so they can get B12 from bacteria. Are they able to do this without any special supplements on modern farms though (e.g. with cows on antibiotics eating grain instead of grass)? > Are you that B12 is abundant enough in natural soil? When I looked before, I couldn't find any reliable natural source humans could reasonably consume. I'm not sure to be honest. My point is modern farming interrupts how nutrients would normally get into our food chain anyway so I don't see the big deal in taking supplements directly.
  - jeffdavis 8y ago
    As far as I can tell cows can still produce B12 with the help of their symbiotic bacteria and digestive tract, and humans can't. The point is that it takes a lot of attention and artificial help to have a healthy vegan diet. That's not great for children or half-committed adults. Eating meat, or at least eggs or dairy, cuts out a lot of that effort. The animals have already done the work of turning a vegan diet into the large variety of nutrients that we need.